Youth-led protests across Germany turned violent in Frankfurt on Saturday, 31 October 2026, when a small group of hooded and masked rioters looted shops, smashed windows and attacked emergency services, according to reports from Reuters and AFP.
The demonstrations, organised by the group “Gen Z regelt”, took place in 34 cities, including Berlin, Frankfurt and Munich. Protesters were demanding better education and lower living costs. Organisers said about 120,000 people took part, below the roughly 182,000 they had expected. Police in Frankfurt, Munich and Berlin each reported crowds of up to about 18,000.
In Frankfurt, at least two stores were looted and windows at several shops were smashed. Rioters threw Molotov cocktails, stones and fireworks at emergency services, and Frankfurt police urged bystanders to avoid the city centre, saying “violent disturbances are continuing”. Police used water cannon in Frankfurt, Hamburg and Cologne.
A gun store was among the shops looted in Frankfurt, AFP reported, with a suspect arrested and two weapons seized. Hesse interior minister Roman Poseck said around 100 identified left-wing extremists had infiltrated the Frankfurt protest.
This report covers the outcome of the protests, following earlier coverage of what was expected on Saturday. The featured image is an illustrative stock photograph of a protest crowd and is not a photograph of the Frankfurt events.
Source: Reuters, via GMA News, 1 November 2026; AFP via Malay Mail.
